Jadier Herrera TKO8 Ricardo Núñez... In Oberhausen, Germany on Saturday, Cuban lightweight Jadier Herrera (18-0) captured one of two WBC interim lightweight titles by defeating Panama's Ricardo “El Científico” Núñez (26-8) by technical knockout in the eighth round. The fight was held at the Rudolf Weber Arena as part of the Queensberry card headlined by heavyweight Agit Kabayel. It lived up to the expectations of the 14,000+ fans, delivering a true war inside the ring. The road to glory was rocky for Herrera; as in the opening stages, Núñez proved dangerous by sending the Cuban to the canvas, forcing an immediate strategic tactical shift. Herrera managed to weather the storm, adjusted his defense, and began working patiently to break down the Panamanian. The finish came in the eighth round when Herrera landed a powerful right hand that left Núñez visibly hurt and barely held up by the ropes. During the intervention, an unusual moment occurred when referee Daniel Van de Wiele tripped over Herrera and fell to the canvas. However, upon standing up, Van de Wiele maintained his decision to stop the fight to protect the well being of Núñez, who was in no condition to continue. With this win, Herrera establishes himself as one of the most exciting figures in the 135-pound division.

 

The WBC lightweight champion is Shakur Stevenson, who is moving up to junior welterweight later this month to challenge world champion Teofimo Lopez. The WBC also recognizes O'Shaquie Foster as the WBC interim lightweight champion. Foster is the legitimate WBC junior lightweight champion but he won the lightweight interim title under corrupt circumstances. Foster was facing former two-division champion Stephen Fulton Jr. last year in what was supposed to be a junior lightweight fight. But Foster came in two pounds above the 130-pound weight limit and the WBC shockingly accomodated Fulton's failure by sanctioning the fight for an interim lightweight title. Foster won and remains recognized by the WBC in both divisions. Most likley, he will be removed as WBC interim lightweight champion and remain as WBC junior lightweight champion. What made the Herrera vs. Nunez title sanction even more objectionable is the fact that Nunez lost his last fight to Jon Fernandez yet Fernandez was not given the opportunity to fight for this title.